Campaign Finance Complaint Process
Filing a Complaint
Any person may file a complaint with the appropriate filing officer if they believe a violation of
Arizona campaign finance laws have occurred according to A.R.S. § 16-938 including but not limited to:
- Failure to register as a political committee when required;
- Unlawful commingling of money;
- Violation of campaign contribution limits;
- Making or accepting unlawful contributions;
- Failure to include proper advertising disclaimers;
- Failure to file campaign finance reports (if the filing officer has not already initiated an enforcement action);
- Improper or unreported expenditures; or
- Filing incomplete or inaccurate campaign finance reports.
Requirements
A complaint must be made in writing and submitted to the applicable filing officer for campaign finance reporting; email submissions are acceptable. A.R.S § 16-938(B). To submit a campaign finance complaint against a political committee registered with the Arizona Secretary of State, email [email protected].
Click here to view county contact information and here to view city and town contact information.
Regardless of whether a complainant is represented by counsel, a complaint must contain the full name and mailing address of the complainant. A complaint should also:
- Clearly recite the facts that describe the violation of Arizona campaign finance law under the filing officer's jurisdiction as specific as possible (citations to the law(s) are highly encouraged);
- Clearly identify each person, committee, organization, or group that is alleged to have committed a violation;
- Include any supporting documentation (such as sworn affidavits from persons with firsthand knowledge, media reports, advertisements, website links, etc.) supporting the alleged violation, if available; and
- Differentiate between statements based on a complainant's personal knowledge and those based on information and belief. Statements not based on personal knowledge should identify the source of the information.
Office of the Secretary of State
Elections Division
1700 W Washington St Fl 7
Phoenix AZ 85007-2808